Classical China
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2.
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The Chinese Bronze Age
Shang divination and ancestor worship
Zhou conquest and Mandate of Heaven
Zhou system of aristocratic lineages
Neolithic period (ca. 8,000 BC-2000 BCE)
Bronze age (ca. 2000-600 BCE)
Bronze ritual vessels
Shang Dynasty
ca. 12th-11th c. BCE
Mask décor (taotie) on bronze ritual vessel
Late Shang dynasty, ca. 12th-11th c. BCE
Inscribed bronze ritual vessel
Late Zhou dynasty, ca. 6th c. BCE
Inscribed bronze ritual vessel
Late Zhou dynasty, ca. 6th c. BCE
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2.
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4.
The Chinese Bronze Age
Shang divination and ancestor worship
Zhou conquest and Mandate of Heaven
Zhou system of aristocratic lineages
8000 BCE
Neolithic period
ca. 8,000-2000 BCE
Xia dynasty
ca. 21st-16th c.
Pre-Imperial period
(Three Dynasties)
ca. 2,000-221 BCE
Shang dynasty
ca. 1600-1045
Zhou dynasty
1045-256
Qin empire
Early Imperial period
221-206
221 BC-581 CE
Han empire
206 BCE-220 CE
220 CE
dynasty
patrilineage
8000 BCE
Neolithic period
ca. 8,000-2000 BCE
Xia dynasty
ca. 21st-16th c.
Pre-Imperial period
(Three Dynasties)
ca. 2,000-221 BCE
Shang dynasty
ca. 1600-1045
Zhou dynasty
1045-256
Qin empire
Early Imperial period
221-206
221 BC-581 CE
Han empire
206 BCE-220 CE
220 CE
written records ca. 1200
Yinxu 殷墟
"Ruins of Yin"
ca. 1200 BCE
Anyang, Henan
河南安陽
Anyang
Royal tomb of Shang Dynasty
Anyang, Henan, ca. 12th c. BCE
Replica of Tomb of Shang royal consort Fu Hao
Yinxu (Anyang, Henan), ca. 1200 BCE
Human sacrificial remains
Anyang, Henan, ca. 12th c. BCE
Oracle bones
jiaguwen 甲骨文
late Shang Dynasty (ca. 1200-1045 BCE)
pyromancy/pyromantic divination
Examples of Shang Oracle Bone Inscriptions
1. Crack-making on day 21, Que divined: "Consort Hao's childbearing will be
good." The king read the cracks and said: "If it be on a ding-day that she
give birth, there will be prolonged luck."
2. Crack-making on day 43 divined: "It is the Mountain Power that is harming
the rain."
3. Divined: "The enemy are harming and attacking us; it is Di (Lord on High)
who orders them to make disaster for us."
4. Divined: "There is a sick tooth; is it not Ancestor Yi who is causing harm?"
5. Divined: "Ancestor Cheng (the first king) will be hosted by Di."
6. Crack-making on day 31, Que divined: "On the next day, day 32, we should
make offering to Ancestor Yi.
涍
帝
Di / Shang Di
"Lord" / "Lord Above"
The Book of Poetry
aka The Book of Songs
Shi 詩
ca. 11th-6th c. BCE
#209 "Thick Star-Thistle"
Genealogy of Shang kings
Chinese luni-solar calendar
•60-day cycle
•10-day week
•1st month of year keyed to winter solstice
•occasional extra (intercalary) month
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2.
3.
4.
The Chinese Bronze Age
Shang divination and ancestor worship
Zhou conquest and Mandate of Heaven
Zhou system of aristocratic lineages
Maximal territorial
extent of Shang
state, ca 1200 BCE
Shang
Wei River valley
渭河
Zhou 周
Shang
8000 BCE
Neolithic period
ca. 8,000-2000
Xia dynasty
ca. 21st-16th c.
Pre-Imperial period
(Three Dynasties)
ca. 2,000-221
Shang dynasty
ca. 1600-1045
Zhou dynasty
1045-256
Qin empire
Early Imperial period
221-206
221 BC-AD 220
Han empire
206 BC-AD 220
220 CE
Zhou conquest ca. 1045
Early Western Zhou rulers
King Wen 文王 (r. 1099-1050)
King Wu 武王 (r. 1049-1043)
Duke of Zhou 周公 (regent 1042-1036)
Shang
Zhou (Xi'an)
Luo (Luoyang)
Luo
Zhou
The Book of Documents
Shang shu 尚書
"The Many Officers," ca. 11th-10th c. BCE
Mandate of Heaven
The king says to this effect, "You many remaining officers of
Shang! It is a misfortune; autumnal Heaven has greatly sent
down destruction on Shang. We, the Zhou, assisted in the
mandate; led by Heaven's brilliant authority we brought
about the king's punishment, setting the mandate of Shang
aright and thereby fulfilling the will of Di. Thus, you many
officers, it was not that our small nation dared to take aim at
the mandate of Shang; it was that Heaven, not cooperating
with those who are deceitful, prevaricatory, ignorant and
disorderly, supported us. Would we dare seek this status
ourselves? It was that Di would not cooperate with you.
What our lowly people uphold and act upon is the brilliant
dreadfulness of Heaven.
Di
Tian
"Lord"
"Heaven"
涍
帝
浽
天
The Xia had no use for Di; they were greatly licentious and dissolute,
for which behavior they invented pretexts. Thereupon Heaven no
longer cared for them or heard them, but discontinued their primal
mandate, sending down punishments. So your former ancestor Tang
the Successful was commanded to overturn Xia; with your capable
people he governed the four quarters. From Tang the Successful down
to Emperor Yi, none of your rulers failed to make his virtue brilliant and
attend to the sacrifices.
…
But more recently, their descendant and successor has been vastly
unenlightened with respect to Heaven. How could it be said of him that
he would comply with and care about the diligent heritage of the former
kings? He was vastly licentious and dissolute; he did not look upon
Heaven's manifest presence or the misery of the people. At this time, Di
Above did not protect him, and sent down such great destruction as this.
Heaven does not cooperate with those who do not make their virtue
brilliant.
Qiu basin 倾盤
bronze
Western Zhou Dynasty (ca. 1045-771 BCE)
ca. late 9th-early 8th c. BCE
Qiu said: "My greatly illustrious high
ancestor Shan Gong was valiantly able to
make clear and wise his virtue and to
support and assist King Wen and King
Wu, who beating the Shang, received
Heaven's fine mandate, extended [it] to
encompass the four quarters, and
completely settled the territory that they
had toiled for, thereby becoming a mate
for the Lord on High.
Son of Heaven
Tianzi
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2.
3.
4.
The Chinese Bronze Age
Shang divination and ancestor worship
Zhou conquest and Mandate of Heaven
Zhou system of aristocratic lineages
Western Zhou aristocratic lineage system
patrilineage
dynasty
Son of Heaven (tianzi)
Zhou dynasty territorial extent
Luo
Zhou
Zhou dynasty territorial extent
Luo
Zhou
Wei River valley="region within the passes"
Luo (aka Luoyang)
Major Zhou colonies
Yan
Jin
Qi
Lu
Wei
Zhou
Luo
Ying
Major Zhou colonies
Yan
Jin
Qi
Lu
Wei
Zhou
Luo
Ying
Zhou Colonies
ca. 800 BCE